


Blue Jean Baby

by garicdarran



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alcohol, Angry Billy Hargrove, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Demogorgons, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Billy Hargrove, M/M, Post-Season/Series 02, Steve Harrington Is a Mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-06-02 10:18:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19439440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garicdarran/pseuds/garicdarran
Summary: Billy Hargrove could do as a monster bait and Steve Harrington is one of the real ones. The end of the equation is the biggest question mark Steve has ever experienced in his life.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> yeeyee this starts after season 2 and i'm desperately trying to finish this before season 3 comes out but i have like 2 days so... there's that lol enjoy!!
> 
> oh yeah also title is from elton john's tiny dancer cause i'm a sucker for elton john and idk billy is a blue jean baby...

_ “Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh? I’ve been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about!” _

_ “Get out.” _

Steve couldn’t possibly forget about it. Getting beat up by Billy Hargrove, to the point where he passed out. It’s not that he feels ashamed of it but more that he can’t seem to figure out why Max would try to defend Billy after seeing the shape he got Steve into. And yeah, maybe Steve also felt a bit embarrassed for his performance, if you could call it that. After all, there was a kind of rivalry between Billy and Steve, with Billy trying to become the new King Steve. Losing the fight felt like he was also giving his rank in the high school hierarchy away to Billy. It had become less and less important to Steve with the whole monster hunting adventure happening in the background, but Steve felt a bit repellent at the thought of someone like Billy taking his place. So yes, Max defending Billy felt a bit like betrayal.

“He’s not all bad, that’s all I’m saying…”

“Did you see what he did to Steve?”

“He almost killed Lucas!”

“I’ve never seen him be nice to anyone!”

The kids kept fighting about whether or not Billy was as bad as they thought or not. Steve looked over at Max, who seemed kind of desperate, trying to defend Billy alone. Steve felt bad for her, but he couldn’t help but agree with most of what the boys were telling her.

“You guys don’t understand… It’s not his fault that he’s so angry and bitter,” Max quietly says.

“She’s right.”

Everyone turned to look at Eleven, who hadn’t joined the conversation earlier. Max smiled at her knowingly and continued talking.

“Billy is an asshole, I know that. But he’s changed a lot since what happened when…”

“When he beat my face in?” Steve asked. Max grimaced a bit but continued.

“Yeah, then. He still keeps up the whole act of being a dick towards everyone, but he’s almost nice to me. If you got to know him better, you’d agree.”

Steve sighed. Since getting to know the kids when the whole mess of the Upside Down and demogorgons began, Steve has tried to be more openminded towards people. He’s tried to be forgiving, which he got to practice when the thing between Nancy and Jonathan began. He’s tried to overall be a better person, a role model for the kids. Teach them how to be the bigger person. However, the truth is that most of the time it’s Steve who keeps learning from the kids.

“Well… I supposed he’d be a potential monster bait if we ever need one again,” Steve muttered, offering a little smile to Max.

Max looked at Steve and smiled back at him. The younger boys looked at each other and muttered something that sounded like an agreement. Steve felt kind of proud of himself at that, but also hoped he wouldn’t have to regret this later on. As he watched the kids start planning a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign, he amused himself with the thought of Billy trying to run from a demodog.


	2. Windy for Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we discuss Steve's relationship with the wind a bit too much in an attempt for creative writing. Sorry for the super late first chapter, boy's been having meaningful exams kicking his ass.

Steve used to hate the wind. He felt like it messed everything up. With everything he mostly means his hair. But it really used to feel like it was the reason for the many small disasters in his life. The wind in Hawkins is cold and loud. He could remember nights at parties, standing outside with a cigarette and shaking from the cold. He never understood what good the wind could possibly do to anyone, ever. Some nights Steve would get paranoid when hearing the loud howling of the wind, thinking about how there were wolves for sure, waiting outside his house to get a meal out of him.

Nowadays Steve thanks the wind for existing. He can’t stand the silent windless nights every now and then. The sound the wind makes when pushing through everything in its way blocks out all the noises Steve thinks he’s hearing in the darkness of the streets of Hawkins. He’d rather listen to the wind for hours than lay in his bed for hours, waiting for a sound to arise in the dark night. The cold of the wind keeps him awake and alert when he’s driving with his windows down in the middle of the night. Steve Harrington longs for the wind and it doesn’t get windy ever nearly often enough in Hawkins.

The afternoon that Steve is approached by Billy Hargrove isn’t windy at all. The air was still and as warm as it gets in Indiana during late spring. Steve remembers later on desperately wishing for even the slightest wind to calm down his nerves, to chill down the air and make him sweat a bit less, maybe also take Steve with it somewhere to the other side of the globe. Mostly the last bit.

“Harrington!”

Steve was startled by hearing Billy shouting his name, it usually not meaning anything good. They haven’t exchanged a single word since what happened at Byers’. Even after the conversation earlier on with the kids, he still feels on edge around Billy, as one would not having any proof of the supposed change within the other boy. There’s no trust between the two of them. At least there’s none on Steve’s side. He turns around to look in Billy’s direction. He’s walking through the by now mostly empty parking lot, approaching Steve.

“Hargrove,” Steve says with what he hopes is not a shaky voice.

Steve gives Billy a not cold, but not warm either, stare. He really can’t believe Max has faith in Billy changing for the better. He lights another cigarette to focus on something else than the situation at hand. He wouldn’t admit it, but he’s nervous. Kind of scared, honestly. His hands are shaking a bit and he feels embarrassed about the amount of fear he actually has fro Billy. Where’s the wind calming him down when Steve needs it the most?

“Heard you and Wheeler ended it,” Billy stated, taking a place leaning against Steve’s car next to Steve. Feeling his fight-or-flight reaction take place, Steve can’t relax a single muscle, it feels like his body is getting ready to swing his bat at some nastyass demodogs. God, what he’d give to be able to fight a few right now. 

“Yeah, I guess so,” Steve replied with his gaze focused on his fingers holding the burning cigarette. 

Steve wasn’t sure what Billy was trying to achieve by talking to him. He wanted to throw the question out into the air, but he also didn’t want to seem too interested in the conversation. Maybe he was overthinking this.

“Listen…” Billy started, but fell silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry for what happened after Halloween.”

Steve turned to look at Billy with disbelief in his eyes.

“W-what?”

“You heard me. I… Yeah, shouldn’t have done that to you and the Sinclair kid. But you were there and I, well, you were there. Can’t really explain it better nor can I justify it but yeah, sorry. Shouldn’t have taken anything out on you.” Billy turned to look at him and actually looked sincere.

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry too, for uh, punching you” Steve replied, still surprised Billy actually apologised. He wasn’t nearly as sorry as he thought Billy should’ve been, but he nonetheless was a bit sorry for punching him. Only a bit though, Billy was still an asshole.

“Max made me do this, so don’ think I’ve gone soft for you or anything,” Billy said, staring forward again. 

“I figured,” Steve shot back with a smile. He had to admit it that it was kind of amusing how Billy tried to keep up his act.

“But I mean it,” Billy quietly muttered, just loud enough for Steve to hear, before leaving.

"Sure hope you do;" Steve muttered to himself while getting in the car.


	3. Disgustingly Cheap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Billy Hargrove is tolerable.

Six months ago, Steve would’ve sworn on his life that Billy Hargrove would never be tolerable. Never would he have ever thought that it’d be a possibility for Billy to talk and act like an actual decent person. All he saw was a guy trying way too hard to be the king of Hawkins High, not caring what he’d have to do or who he’d have to beat up for it.

Having lived in Hawkins for all his life though and having experienced the multi-dimensional monster hunt last Halloween should have taught Steve not to assume anything, but it didn’t prepare him for one particular Thursday afternoon in the hallway of Hawinks High.

Steve was digging through his locker, trying to find his Math book. He couldn’t, of course, remember how he’d left it at home in the morning and how he couldn’t find it in Math class either. Having his arms full of books, he managed to drop them all when a voice startled him.

“What’s up, Harrington?”

Steve visibly flinched when dropping the books, which only made the voice laugh at him. Steve looked annoyedly back at Billy, who had come up to him for some reason.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Billy asked with amusement.

“Sneak up on me.”

Billy rolled his eyes a bit and continued talking.

“Any plans for the weekend?”

Steve looked up at him from the floor, where he was now gathering his books. Was Billy Hargrove actually asking him what he was doing this weekend?

“You going to mock me or are you actually interested?”

“Me? Mock you? Harrington, please, I would never. I’m genuinely interested,” he said with a smirk. “Besides, there’s a party Tommy’s hosting and I ain’t planning on going to another party alone just to watch Tommy suck face with Carol.”

Steve stared at Billy confusedly from the floor. He couldn’t understand the fact that Billy had just invited him to party just a week after apologising for punching his face in. Steve must’ve looked just as confused as he was, as Billy continued talking.

“It’s not that hard of a question, Harrington. I’d even say it’s a yes or no question.”  
“I.. Uh, I mean, yeah, sure. Why not?” Steve replied, still the most confused he’d been in ages.

“Correct answer. See you on Saturday then.”

Billy walked away, leaving Steve crouching on the floor with half of his books still around the place. Steve stared after him, not being able to comprehend what just had happened.

When Saturday rolled around, Steve had forgotten about the party. He hadn’t really seen Billy around in school, so there wasn’t really anything reminding him of it. So he ended up sitting in Nancy’s (and Mike’s) basement with the kids at 9 PM on a Saturday night, watching them continue on their latest D&D campaign. The kids were bickering about some minor flaw Mike had left when planning the thing. Steve was laughing at how seriously they were taking the whole thing.

“Maybe you should all calm down a bit? I’ll take you out for milkshakes if you shut up,” Steve offered amusedly.

The kids were all immediately gathering their stuff and Max came up to him.

“Hey, I know the car is already full and all… But I was wondering if you could take me home? Billy was supposed to do that but I think he went to a party and I’d rather not sit in a car with a drunk driver.”

“Yeah, sure, you can sit in Lucas’ lap or whatev- wait, d-did you say party?”

“Yeah, I mean he said he’d be late so I told him I’ll find a ride home.”

“I- uh, yeah I’ll take you home. I’ll take all of you home. You guys, change of plans. I’m gonna have to take all of you home right now, I’ve got things to do and places to be.”

The kids groaned, but gathered their stuff and got into the car. Steve speeded through Hawkins, taking each of the kids home. How could he have forgotten about the party? 

As he finally arrived at Tommy’s house, he was nervous as hell. He didn’t actually have any reason to be, as it wasn’t even eleven at that time and he probably wasn’t even late. He was still feeling a bit on edge about everything regarding Billy and didn’t want to piss him off for being late. He quickly looked at himself in the small mirror in the car and couldn’t have been less pleased. He looked like a real mess and his hair could have used some work. He hadn’t thought about what he put on when he left for Mike’s and had on jeans and vest with a t-shirt underneath. That’d have to do.

He walked through the open door, seeing everyone was already kind of drunk. Steve himself had no drinks at all, so that was the first thing he needed to work on. Next, he’d have to find Billy.

Steve headed towards the bar and grabbed a couple of beers. He almost dropped them as Billy managed to sneak up on him again.

“Haaarrington! You’re here!”

“Didn’t I tell you not to sneak up on me?” Steve replied, looking at Billy behind him.

“Come on, you love it!”

“Well, I truly don’t.”

Billy laughed, obviously drunk and threw an arm around Steve’s shoulders. Steve rolled his eyes and opened his first can of beer. Disgustingly cheap, but it’d have to do.

“Tell me, Harrington. Do you think I could beat my old keg record?”

“Honestly? No. You’re already way too drunk to be doing that.”

“I’ll show you wrong.” Billy ran away towards the keg, Steve following him.

“Come on, hold me, Harrington. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“I’m not about to help you to attempt a keg stand and then watch you fall face first on the ground as your hands get tired from too much alcohol.”

“You’re so lame, Harrington. So lame.”

“You bet I am.”


End file.
